Tuesday, February 18, 2014

I seems it's just not players that are getting in alcohol-related trouble this week. Newly-hired Vanderbilt defensive line coach Vavae Tata was arrested on DUI-related charges in Nashville on Sunday.

According to a Davidson County (Tn.) Police report, Tata hit two parked cars while driving on Nashville's West End Avenue. He then reportedly "fled the scene on foot in an attempt to avoid police." He was later found a few blocks away, where he confessed to being the operator of the vehicle involved with the accident.

The police report described Tata as smelling of alcohol and being "unsteady on his feet and had bloodshot and watery eyes." He failed a breathalyzer test, scoring a .18 percent. The legal limit in Tennessee is .08 percent.

Tata was charged with "charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage."

Tata was recently hired by Vanderbilt as part of new head coach Derek Mason's coaching staff. He previously served with Mason at Stanford, where he was a defensive line assistant.